Lymbyc Systym - Split Stones (2015)

Brothers Jared and Michael Bell have been making music together as Lymbyc Systym since 2004. On their new album Split Stones they explore the power of disparate halves coming together to form a unique whole. The idea serves as an analogy for Jared and Mike's relationship, Lymbyc's sound, and the mind/body dichotomy. All of the songs on Split Stones were created using arpeggiators but with a distinctly Lymbyc twist. Throughout the album the arpeggiators act as living machines scientific clarity in harmony with human uncertainty. As Jared explains, 'Instead of synching up the arpeggiators, they were recorded freely with countless variations, then edited together manually. It made for an incredibly dynamic and organic rhythm that set the compositional tone for the rest of the record.' The resulting collection of songs is the duo's most up-tempo, vibrant, and danceable album to date. Recorded largely in their respective home studios, the duo went to Dallas to track live drums at Elmwood Recording, where they mixed their previous albums Shutter Release and Field Studies with John Congleton. The album opens with "Generated Bodies", a song that starts as a colossal instrumental rock track, but quickly evolves into spirals of chordal synths and electronic beats, mirroring the band's metamorphosis over the past decade. Other songs like "Split Stones" and "Pulses" find the band experimenting with longer cinematic song structures, leaving behind the short "pop" song structures they've delivered on previous albums. The album veers into full on dance mode on "Paraboloid" before things wind down with the sunny groove of album closer "Scientific Romance". Quotes - '...a dizzying instrumental melting pot of glowing harmonies and finger-snapping rhythms.' Under The Radar // '...complex sonic musings on what pop music can truly become.' Consequence Of Sound // '...a beautiful, trance-inducing whole. Put the album on repeat, and it's easy to completely lose track of time and place.' Chicago Reader // '...a percussive soundtrack to your coolest drug induced dreams.' XLR8R // '...fabulously exuberant and e ervescent...' Textura // Also Available From Lymbyc Systym: Symbolyst (Western Vinyl LP/CD).